Rachel's Turn
by AustenJane
Summary: Set three years after 'Dreams Come True', Kurt and Blaine celebrate their son's third birthday with Rachel and Jesse. But, not without some much expected drama.
1. Changes

**Okay, well. First and foremost, as a Finchel shipper, and later a Samchel one, never did I ever think that I'd be writing a St. Berry or Klaine story, but alas, here I am. RIB sucked me in one last time and I really loved the way everything was wrapped up… so much so, that I felt the need to go even further in the future to see where life has taken them in June of 2023. **

**Also, just started the tumblr thing and I'm probably going to post some stuff there if you'd like to check it out: **

**I hope you enjoy this! :)**

….

"Where in the bloody_ hell _is Rachel?" Kurt fumed as he rearranged the circus themed centerpieces made entirely out of organic candy.

Blaine sighed sympathetically, gripping his husband's shoulder and giving him a comforting kiss on the cheek, "Okay, well, firstly I think you've been watching too much BBC." He shot Kurt a cheeky but knowing look and Kurt shrugged whilst avoiding eye contact. Blaine continued, his tone soft, the one he uses to ease Kurt's sometimes heighted state of stress, "She's never late, Kurt. I'm sure she has a very good reason. Besides, it's only 2, and the party doesn't even have an end time."

Kurt pouted, staring off into their spacious Hamptons yard to where Burt was teaching their son how to swim in the pool. His grimace ticked up into a smile when he caught the look of pure love that Burt gave the flailing little boy.

"It's just that… she's such an important part of his life, she birthed him for god's sake. She should _be _here."

"Kurt, Sweetheart, don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"

He let out a harsh breath, his hands taking purchase on his hips, "She's been distant lately, Blaine. But, I can't put my finger on why."

Blaine followed Kurt's gaze to their son and smiled, "Well, you know it has nothing to do with him, right? She loves our little guy more than anything…"

"Sometimes I wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"If she regrets it. You know how she felt about her own mother's surrogacy and—"

"Kurt, she gave us the most amazing gift and did so knowing full well what she was getting herself into. Besides, her insecurities with her mother stemmed from the fact that she didn't know her. Hudson _knows_ Rachel and who she is to him. There's no mystery there about how or why he came to be, we made sure to let him know it was out of pure love," Kurt allows a small smile to creep up on his face.

Blaine continues, "Our son is _so_ loved and his conception speaks volumes to that. And, because of that, we have this wonderfully amazing, slightly unexpected extended family."

"You can say that again, who would've thought we'd ever be exchanging presents on Christmas morning with Jesse St. James?" They both chuckle, having both become incredibly close friends with Jesse over the years, but Kurt turns serious suddenly as he leans down to press a kiss against his husband's lips, "Thank you for calming me down and talking some sense into me. You know I can get lost in my own head sometimes…"

Blaine smiles, knowingly, "Yeah, but I'll always be there to pull you out."

Kurt gives Blaine's arm a squeeze just as they hear a commotion coming from their yard. Whatever it is, everyone sounds excited.

All it takes is two seconds of realization and a quick flash of flowing brown hair to know that his best friend and her husband have finally arrived, and all of the guests she's wooed over the years are making a huge fuss over her… as usual.

Hudson's birthdays are always a big deal. It's a day of remembrance and reflection on not only the life of their son, but the unbreakable bond that he, Rachel and Blaine now share. Also, in a way, it's about Finn, too.

He'll never forget the look on Rachel's face when Carole thanked her for giving her the grandchild she had always wanted.

They then decided that they'd name their son for Finn, so he'd always be present in their lives. Hudson's intended first name, Tracy, became his middle one, and Kurt thinks back on it now and is grateful for the change. Now, Hudson would grow up knowing he carried his uncle's name, the name of an extraordinary person that they had all missed terribly and had aspired to be more like.

But, most of all, Hudson's birthday is a celebration of an amazing life that he can't believe he is lucky enough to share with all those people that he loves.

And so, his anger at Rachel for being late completely dissipates when he sees her bright smile as she fishes Hudson right out of the pool and holds him, pressing kisses all over his sweet face, not caring one iota that she's getting utterly soaked.

Blaine gives his hand a yank and leads him over to Rachel, Hudson, and Jesse who has his arm wrapped around Rachel's waist as he talks to Hudson animatedly.

"Glad you two could finally make it," Kurt raises an eye brow to them and smirk ghosts over his face as she frowns openly.

Jesse looks worried, like his little joke is going to actually cause her physical harm or something, and so he speaks up sympathetically, "You wouldn't believe the traffic, Kurt. We tried to get here as soon as we could."

Rachel looks up at her husband gratefully, her eyes shining a watery thanks.

"Wait, you guys left the city_ today_?" Blaine asks, confused.

Hudson starts to get fidgety on Rachel's hip and she strains to adjust him. The instant her face shows an inkling of distress, Jesse fishes the boy out of her arms and holds him in her stead.

Rachel smooths back Hudson's hair before turning to her friends, "Yes, well, we had planned to leave last night but something came up."

Kurt is_ so_ suspicious of her. Rachel is a terrible liar, that's for sure, but something in the way that Jesse's even more protective than usual leaves a bad feeling in his stomach.

"Well, we're just glad you guys are here. You're probably hungry, the food is set up in the gazebo and the drinks are all in the decoratively painted circus barrels!" Kurt claps excitedly, finally in the mood to party now that everyone he cares about most is here.

"Auntie Ray, can we do sing songs?" Hudson asks sweetly , his head rested on Jesse's shoulder.

Hudson, being newly three years old, calls their frequent sing alongs, "sing songs" a fact that Rachel refuses to let Kurt or Blaine correct because she thinks it's so cute.

"Of course we can, Sweetheart. But don't you want your presents first?" She smiles, egging him on.

"Rachel, presents are for when everyone else besides you guys, dad, and Carole go home, you know that…"

Rachel shoes him away with her hand and Hudson is squealing in delight, "Presents!"

"Okay, well, Uncle Jesse has the first one in his back pocket," she hints, pulling an envelope from his jeans.

Hudson's brow furrows, obviously, he was expecting a toy.

"Here, Huddy, open it." She hands the boy the colorful envelope and he haphazardly rips it free, only to see a mess of Mickey Mouse-shaped glitter fluttering out.

Kurt instantly knows where this is going, "Rachel…"

Poor Hudson is terribly confused, "You gived me Mickey Mouse?"

"Well, sort of," Jesse smiles, eyeing Rachel, "We got you and your dads a vacation to go to Disney World! How's that sound?"

Hudson looks up at Jesse and then at Rachel in awe.

And so do Kurt and Blaine.

"Guys, this was_ so_ generous and sweet, but we can't accept this, "Blaine says, his eyes darting to a trance-like Kurt who looks like he's staring directly into Rachel's psyche.

"Well, you don't have to, because it's Hudson's birthday present. Right, Hudson?"

He nods ferociously, "Fank you Auntie Ray and Uncle Jesse! I love you so much!" He throws his arms around Jesse's neck tightly and Rachel moves to rub his back, "Anything for our special guy," she coos.

Knowing that they can never tell Hudson no now, and not wanting Kurt to do it, Blaine blurts out, "Hey, Hudson, why don't we go tell Nana and Poppy and Grandma about your gift?" He takes his boy from Jesse's arms. He trails off to the patio area as Hudson mutters on about Goofy and Buzz Lightyear.

"Rachel, what the hell was _that_?" Kurt sneers.

She shoots him a cutting look and once again, Jesse is bracing her, his hands rubbing up and down her arms.

"What was what, Kurt? I can't give my nephew a gift for his third birthday?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and smacked his hand against his thigh, "Of course you can. But what are you going to give him next year, his own private island?!"

"Kurt, with all due respect, you're treating Rachel pretty poorly considering how much time and effort that went into planning this trip," Jesse kisses the top of her head and she squeezes her eyes shut.

Of course, now he's made to feel guilty, noticing how Rachel literally clings to Jesse as if she were face to face with a wild animal rather than her best friend.

"I'm sorry, of course I appreciate it, I—I'm flabbergasted, actually. This is over the top, even for you."

Rachel bites her lip and stares at the floor, "Well, Jesse and I were planning to tag along on your trip, too. We just thought it'd be nice to spend some time together since we haven't been around much lately."

Kurt nods, understanding that aside from love, Rachel's guilt is playing a huge factor in this gift.

"Diva, you both have lives. Blaine, Hudson, and I understand that you can't make it to every dance lesson or soccer game. You don't need to wow us with a vacation to prove your love."

Seemingly out of nowhere, a hired waiter on stilts comes by with a steaming tray of hor'dourves. Before he can even ask anyone if they'd like any, Rachel makes a sour face and darts off as Jesse runs to catch up with her.

Great, Kurt think. Now he's_ really_ upset her.

….

It's been over twenty minutes, and he can't find Rachel anywhere. Blaine and Sam are having a blast for themselves captaining opposing volleyball teams in the pool consisting of most of their glee club friends, Carole and his dad are snuggled up on the porch swing with Hudson in between them, Pam's doing shots with Puck, and their Broadway friends are all happily chatting away in their hot tub. The only one at the party who isn't enjoying themselves is him and he knows it's because he can't shake the feeling that there's something else going on with Rachel.

Something big.

He decides he has to find her. He makes his way into the spacious beach home, padding around the first floor and suspiciously seeing no signs of Rachel or Jesse anywhere.

He wonders momentarily if they've left, but he thinks that's too dramatic of an exit, even for Rachel.

He's reassured of this when he hears the toilet flush from one of the bathrooms upstairs. His interest is further piqued as he climbs the stairs and the toilet is flushed once again.

He gets to the top of the stairs and peers down the long hallway and sees one of the guest room doors slightly ajar. He walks up to it and freezes when he hears Rachel and Jesse in the midst of what seems like an incredibly emotional conversation.

She sniffles, "I can't tell them today, Jesse!"

He shushes her in attempt to calm her frayed nerves, "Doll, you're very sick. They're going to find out sooner or later."

"Let it be later, then. This is about Hudson today, okay? I'm not letting anything take away from that."

Kurt suddenly feels nauseas himself. Rachel's… sick? She's so sick that she and Jesse had to hide out in a guest room? Her lateness today is making sense. How they didn't leave on time, how she's been so scarce lately.

She's been sick and she's probably terrified and here he is, making everything that much worse for her.

His heart is racing, the prospective illnesses coursing through his mind. He thinks of his mother, how she wasn't that much older than Rachel when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Could it be cancer? It'd explain her paleness, her weight loss, the vomiting he can hear coming from the adjoined bathroom.

For a second his traitorous mind projects the notion of a possibly Rachel-less world. It's not something he can stomach to think about for a second longer than he does.

He can hear Jesse from the bathroom. She had gone in such haste she hadn't gotten a chance to close the door.

"My poor girl," He breathes, "It'll get better soon, I promise."

She heaves and he can hear the tears in her voice, "No, it won't."

"Rach, you can't think like that…"

He can't do it. He can't sit here and let her fret and worry all because of him.

He busts through the door, their heads shooting over in his direction from the archway of the bathroom door.

"Rachel?" Is all he can say.

He watches as Jesse helps Rachel up and holds her waist steady at the sink as she brushes her teeth with one of their spare toothbrushes.

He leads her out and she's leaning on Jesse so much he thinks she might fall over if he made any sudden movements.

"How much did you hear?" She asks gravely, her voice shallow, no doubt due to her strained throat from all of the vomiting.

"Enough," he answers back, eyes boring into hers.

"So, what do you want to know?" Kurt watches as Jesse's grip tightens on her waist.

"How… how long?"

She closes her eyes and thinks back, "About 10 weeks."

Kurt thinks that's a decidedly odd way to measure time, but who is he to tell a dying woman how to live?

"God, Rachel, I had no idea. I—I'm so _sorry_. The vacation makes so much sense now, you want to spend time with us because this has made you see how precious time is and, _ugh_, I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm an awful, terrible friend and I just want to let you know Blaine and I will be here for you through treatments and triumphs and everything in between." He has to catch his breath from talking so fast, and as he does, he catches Jesse and Rachel giving each other animatedly confused faces.

Jesse speaks up, "Wait, Kurt. We think you may have the wrong—"

"Oh god, did I make it seem like you were a victim? You're not a victim, you're a warrior and I love you, Rachel Berry, no matter what." He throws his arms around her and squeezes tightly.

"Kurt, what the _hell _are you talking about?" She implores, pushing away from him.

"What am I—Rachel, you're sick and I just want you to know how I feel about you…"

Rachel and Jesse's eyes nearly pop out of their heads. Rachel gasps, "Oh my god, I'm not sick!"

"But I heard you say it!" Kurt insists.

"Well, I _am_ sick, but not _terminally_. Kurt, I had planned on telling you a million different ways but I suppose this is as good a time as any… I'm pregnant."

Kurt's jaw promptly falls to the floor and he lets out an involuntary squeal, "Oh my god! This is amazing!"

He hugs her so hard Jesse reminds him that he has to be gentle with her now that she's in a delicate condition.

He wipes at his eyes and stares at her, "This makes me so happy."

Of course, his tears prompt her own, "You are?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

She whimpers and Jesse's already there with his strong hand at her back, rubbing circles to soothe her.

"I just thought that, well, you'd think this would change things with me and Hudson and I—"

"Rachel, no. I never_, ever_ thought that. I love how much you love Hudson, but he's _my _child. And now, you're going to have your own and it's okay if you can't dote or_ hover_ as much as you used to. Your bond with Hudson is forever, and nothing is going to change that. But now it's your turn to be Mommy instead of Auntie."

"See, Ray? I told you, everyone is going to be over the moon about it," Jesse says as he beams with pride.

Kurt nods in agreement, "I can't wait for a godchild to spoil… and dress. Have a girl this time, will you?"

He nudges her and she laughs, _finally_.

"You know, you make me want to be your husband," she tells him cheekily, like she did all those years ago in the car when they were so unsure of themselves and their futures.

But now, their futures bright and burgeoning, the sentiment is so different.

"Rachel Berry, if you weren't a female and were slightly less high strung, I'd want to be your husband, too."

Jesse chuckles at the pair, "Speaking of husbands…"

His eyes shoot to the doorway as Blaine stands teary eyed, "Rachel… you're pregnant?! Oh my god, our babies are going to be best friends!"

Jesse has to peel another AnderHummel off of Rachel before they crush her and his unborn, but the outpouring of love for their expanding family quells his overprotective nature… _slightly_.

After the excitement dies down a bit, Blaine and Kurt realize they need to get back to their son's party.

Blaine wipes a tear from Kurt's cheek, "Alright, we'll leave you two here for a bit. But join us downstairs as soon as you're feeling better, okay?"

She agrees and they walk off hand in hand.

Rachel lets out a breath of relief, sinking back against her husband's chest.

Holding her in his arms, his hands slide to her belly as he presses a lingering kiss on her neck, "I can't wait to get you home later. Just me, you, some Sondheim, and a nice bubble bath."

"That sounds absolutely wonderful. I'm glad we invested in a Hamptons home, it's so peaceful here and it'll be such a good retreat for us and our family from the city."

Jesse agrees, his chin resting on her shoulder, "It's a good thing we went the bigger house, you know. Not only to show up Kurt, which let me tell you, feels _great_, but because…"

"It's still not processing yet. _Two_ babies at once. We're in for it, me and you," She says, her wide smile directed at him betraying her fearful words.

"Rachel, I've always told you, when I do something, I do it to my best ability. This includes impregnation," he winks at her and she slaps him, giggling at his reference to his former insanely ambitious self.

"Yeah, well, next time don't do it so well. I'm thrilled that we're expecting twin St. Jameses but I'm all about the single births from here on out," she punctuates with a squeezing of his knee.

"You're a pip, you know that? I think the thing I love most about you is how you keep me on my toes. Every day with you is an adventure, Rachel Berry."

His blue eyes bore into hers and she can't help but press her lips against his, needing to make their spiritual connection physical.

"You're not so bad yourself, Jesse St. James. Though, our children might think differently once I tell them that their daddy egged me in the middle of a parking lot…"

He winces and she snorts, loving how easily she can still guilt him over an ancient incidence, "Ray, don't tell them that! They're going to think I'm some sort of villain."

"Well, you_ were_. But then, then you grew up and you took all that passion and drive and intensity and used it for good instead of evil. It's a timeless story, really."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep, "she nods decidedly, "People will write about it someday."

He laughs and shakes his head skeptically before he steals another kiss, "I love you so much."

"And I love you," she promises.

Rachel's brought out of her bubble of pure joy with her husband when she makes a grave realization, "Oh no," she squeaks.

Jesse's on high alert, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Are the babies okay? Do I need to call Dr. Oz? You know I have him on speed dial, he lives just down the street…"

"No, no, no! Jesse… we forgot to tell Kurt and Blaine that we're having _twins_. I wanted to get everything out in the open all at once and—"

"YOU'RE HAVING TWINS?!" Kurt shrieks from the doorway, promptly dropping the veggie burger he had brought up for Rachel. He runs to the bed and takes her hands.

"Oh, boy." Jesse breathes, snickering as Rachel is once again crying and so is Kurt as they jump up and down, hand in hand, throughout the room.

Jesse pulls out his phone and searches the O's in his contact list until he reaches Dr. Oz's name, he types away as Rachel and Kurt continue their commotion:

**Is jumping and/or mild rioting okay for unborn babies and their mothers?**

He gets an instant response back from the famed physician:

**Yes, Jesse. You need to relax. Everything is going to be just fine.**

And, as Rachel sits in his lap and kisses his cheek, he thinks that it really will be.


	2. If You Do It Right, Once Is Enough

**Wow, so overwhelmed by the response to this, thank you! It was honestly totally meant to be a one shot, but I'm a complete scatterbrain and forgot to write it. I'm glad I did though because you all inspired me to write more and I realized I have so much I want to explore in these characters' futures.**

**As I wrote previously, I am a Finchel and subsequent Samchel girl at heart, so I tried to give Samchel the resolution and proper closure they didn't get on the show. Rest assured though, this fic will stay St. Berry (though I am still shocked at how well/much I adjusted to this ship).**

**Also, it should be noted that this is a prequel to the first chapter! Just about three months before Hudson's birthday party takes place…**

**Anyway, I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy! :) **

…

There was a brief period of time in Rachel's life when she honestly saw herself ending up with Sam Evans. A modest house in Lima with a few big lipped blonde babies, maybe a golden retriever. She'd be the official Glee Club coach, he'd be the head football one, and they'd lead a comfortable, safe, happy life together without too many bells or whistles.

But ironically, with a little push from Sam himself, she knew that while that life didn't sound half bad, it wouldn't leave her fulfilled. She needed Broadway like Sam needed wide open spaces. They maybe could have worked in another lifetime, just not this one. And then there was Jesse. Like a tidal wave, coming back into her life, changing everything she had previously known. Except the tidal wave wasn't destructive, it renewed her.

The good thing about her and Sam's brief yet poignant relationship was how they became lifelong friends. Sure, they didn't see each other often, but they made sure to keep in touch and always, always set aside time to spend with each other while in their respective towns.

In fact, Sam was spending an unprecedented two weeks in New York for spring break, and since Kurt and Blaine's two bedroom apartment was a bit too crowded with them and their toddler, Rachel offered up her and Jesse's townhouse. They had three extra bedrooms they weren't even using after all.

But then, Jesse had to go away on an extended business trip a week before Sam's arrival and her husband was none too happy about it.

"Please, spend the high holy days with your ex-lover," Jesse quipped as he brushed by her in their en suite bathroom into their bedroom.

"Oh, don't you give me that! We hadn't seen each other for three years when Sam and I were… _intimate_."

Jesse rolls his eyes as he steps into his pants, "That doesn't make the intimacy any less concerning!"

She slams her hands on her hips, "We are married, Jesse! You're supposed to trust me!"

"I do trust you, Rachel. I don't know if I trust_ him_."

"Oh that's ridiculous! You were totally fine with him staying here until 24 hours ago."

"Because I thought I was going to BE here!"

"It isn't his fault that you have to leave unexpectedly!"

He buttoned his shirt rapidly, "I knew you were angry about me leaving!"

He points an accusatory finger at her.

"Oh don't you dare turn the tables on me, St. James! You're the one leaving _me_!"

"You're just proving my point! You know, I never thought you'd begrudge me an opportunity like this one. A film I directed has been chosen to go to a legitimate, respected film festival! How am I supposed to turn that down?"

She huffs, "I would never expect you to turn it down. I just… I would have appreciated you asking me whether or not I'd like you to go. It's the principal of it."

Jesse frowns, walking over to her and gripping her hips, "That's what this is about?"

She nods shyly, "I'm your wife. You're supposed to care about my feelings, too."

"Doll, of course I care about your feelings," He leans down to kiss her forehead, "I was just so excited that I suppose my mind was on one, selfish track. For that, I am truly sorry."

She smiled, leaning her head on his chest, "Thank you."

"…But that still doesn't change how I feel about you and Sam canoodling under my roof while I'm gone."

"Jesse!" she screams, hitting his chest, "You know what? You should get on that plane before you're unable to take any planes anywhere because I'll have murdered you!"

He knows he should be scandalized by the fact that his wife just threatened to kill him in cold blood, but she's so adorable when she's angry that he can't help but laugh.

"Don't you laugh at me!" She warns.

He can't get the grin off of his face, "If you kill me then we won't be able to have that baby we've been talking about."

She falters, "Don't you bring our hypothetical children into this!"

He raises an eyebrow, "I'm just saying, weren't we both hoping that they wouldn't be hypothetical that much longer?"

"You're not playing fair."

He lowers his voice and whispers into his ear, "I'm not playing at all, Rachel."

She squeezes her eyes shut and wills away the effect he has on her. But he slowly runs his hand down her back and pulls her close, bringing his soft lips to her neck.

She lets out a moan and he's barely even touched her.

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" She whimpers.

He's already lifting the shirt over her head when he answers, "No, we've got a baby to make."

…

She's pathetic, she knows, but it's only been a week and she misses Jesse even more than usual. Both Rachel and Jesse go on a fair amount of business trips and so it's weird to her that this time more than any other time she feels this extra pull towards him.

She goes to call him before Sam arrives and he becomes hostile. But his phone continually rings without an answer. He's busy, she has to remind herself.

About an hour later, the doorbell rings, and sure enough, a long haired Sam is standing there, looking more debonair than ever.

"Sam!" She greets him with a big hug that he reciprocates in kind.

"So great to see you, Rach. Thank you again for letting me stay here. It's so cool of you and Jesse to offer like that."

Rachel purses her lips when he mentions Jesse and leads him into the house.

"It's nothing, Sam! We've got this big town house and we're always happy to share with friends."

He smiles and she leads him up to the guest bedroom and lets him get settled.

When he's spruced up a bit and has shaken off the jet lag, he and Rachel head out to dinner with Kurt and Blaine.

Surprisingly, Blaine and Kurt are late, and so Sam and Rachel are left sitting next to each other a bit awkwardly.

Rachel thinks she can feel people's eyes on her, like they know she's sharing a table, sitting directly next to a man who isn't her husband.

"Rach, you okay?" Sam asks, chuckling a bit to himself as he wraps his arm around the back of her chair and gives a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder.

She straightens her back at his touch and he removes his hand quickly. He mutters a sorry and she can see him blush and she feels badly. She knows he was only being friendly.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm just a little on edge. Haven't heard from Jesse all day," she explains.

He nods, "I'm sure he's busy. Can't be easy doing all those interviews and going to all those screenings."

She feels herself easing up at the realization that the man sitting next to her is so much more than a guy she used to sleep with. He's her_ friend_.

"I just wish he'd call, you know? It makes me nervous," she says as she's fidgeting with her hands.

Sam acknowledges her anxiety and as soon as the waiter comes over her orders her favorite wine.

"Thanks," Rachel smiles. Sam gives her a knowing wink and does his best Hannibal Lector impression, muttering something about livers and fava beans and Chianti and all Rachel knows is that it gets her to laugh and she's grateful for his company.

They're both two glasses and three bread baskets in by the time Kurt and Blaine get there with Hudson asleep in his stroller.

"We are so, so, so, so sorry," Blaine explains, his face pained as he pulls Sam into a tight hug.

"It's not a problem, so good to see you man," Sam replies, giving Blaine a hearty pat on the back.

Kurt gives Rachel a similar apology, his face completely solemn, "Unfortunately, he inherited your vocal chords and Blaine's flair for the dramatics."

"I don't think inheriting Rachel's vocal chords is a bad thing," Sam shrugs, sipping his wine.

Rachel's cheeks pink, "Thank you, Sam."

Kurt and Blaine exchange a funny look and Rachel's completely oblivious. She's hovering over the toddler in the stroller, giving his belly a soft rub.

"What's got him so upset?"

Kurt sighs, "We have no idea. He's been defining terrible twos the past couple days. I love my son, I really do, but I'm not so sure I like him very much right now."

Rachel gasps and hits Kurt on his shoulder, "Don't you talk about our baby like that!"

Kurt rolls his eyes, "You know I don't mean it, Rachel. He's just driving us totally nuts."

Rachel looks down at Hudson sympathetically. Sleeping with his mouth slightly ajar he looks positively angelic.

"Let me take him, then," she offers.

"Rachel, trust us, this isn't something you want to handle on your own," Blaine insists, pouring himself a rather large glass of wine.

"She won't be on her own, I'll help her."

Kurt scrunches his face in confusion, "Sam, isn't Santana taking you out bar hopping?"

"Tomorrow night. Tonight I am free as a bird," he grins.

Rachel gives a triumphant, smug nod towards Kurt, "See? Hudson will hang out with Aunt Rachel and Uncle Sam for the night and he'll be good as gold."

"It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's… it's… Hudson!" Sam cheers as he flies his nephew Superman style off of the landing of Rachel's staircase.

Hudson is giggling like a mad man and Rachel's getting it all on video.

"Say 'hi' to the camera, Huddy!" Rachel calls from behind her phone.

"Hi!" Hudson cheers, his giggling fit made more intense by the fact that Sam has graduated from flying to tickling.

"Unca Sam!" He squeals and Sam relents, depositing the boy on the couch and plopping down right next to him.

Rachel snorts as she watches both boys try to catch their breath.

"You know, you're going to be a great dad one day, Sam."

Sam brushes his hair out of his face, looking completely delighted by Rachel's compliment, "You think so?"

She nods, sitting on the couch adjacent to them, "I really do."

Sam signals Rachel towards Hudson, who has conked out in .5 seconds, "Is it… is it ever weird for you? You know, considering Huddy is biologically yours?"

Rachel sort of gapes for a second, not knowing how to best answer that question. Sam mistakes this as her being angry with him and quickly tries to back track, "I'm sorry, you totally don't have to answer that…"

"No, no! It's a valid question. Many, many people are curious to know. Honestly, at first it seemed like a wonderful solution. I was completely at peace with helping Kurt and Blaine start a family and I knew that I wasn't abandoning him because he'd know me and he was never meant to be mine. But once I gave birth to him and held his little body in my arms, I knew that no matter how happy I was for Kurt and Blaine, I'd always be just a little bit sad for me. But I don't regret it, not for a second. Kurt and Blaine have made sure that I'm such a big part of his life and I will make sure that he is always a big part of mine. But yeah, when he's sleeping like that with his fists curled and his mouth open, my heart twists in my chest because he inherited those mannerisms from yours truly. He's… he's my son, biologically, and we will always be bonded, but he isn't my child. Does that make any sense?"

Sam's face is pensive, "It makes complete sense, Rach. It was such an incredible thing to do. And I know that Finn would've been really proud of you."

For some reason, the words coming from Sam's mouth, someone so dear to Finn and a lot like him, makes it almost feel like he's saying it himself.

She puts her hand to her heart, "Thank you. That means more than you know."

Sam leans forward and gives her knee a squeeze before turning to lay the throw blanket over Hudson's sleeping form.

"So, you and Jesse planning on any kiddos? You guys are the only couple left with Brit being due soon and Tina and Artie's baby just being born."

Rachel smiles, thinking of her and Jesse's tryst before he left for the airport, "We've been thinking about it, yeah."

Sam smiles, "I'm really happy for you. You're living your dream, Rach. Just like I knew you would."

"I'm not sure if I've ever properly thanked you for all you did for me. You were an essential part of my healing process from my career failures, my pride… Finn," she twists her engagement ring around her finger and continues, "So, thank you. Because your support meant so much to me."

"Well, you're welcome. But, I guess it was partially selfish. I really cared about you, you know? I still do."

This made Rachel tense. She and Sam hadn't ended their "thing" or whatever it was officially before she and Jesse had reconnected. But, she and Sam were never exactly official, in spite of their intimate relationship, so it wasn't exactly wrong it was just… messy. She still carried a bit of guilt about it to be completely honest.

"I care about you too, Sam," she confessed, biting her lip.

"Rach, it's okay."

Her eyes shot up to his for affirmation and he continued, "I knew you were never mine to keep. You aren't anybody's. You're your own person. When I say I'm happy for you, I mean it. Jesse really turned out to be a good guy and a _great_ guy for you."

Rachel wiped at her eyes, "You're going to make a lucky girl so extremely happy one day."

Sam chuckled, getting up off the couch to comfort her with a hug, "Ah, Rach. You're such a softy, come here."

After Sam carried Hudson up to bed and bid Rachel a goodnight, she got settled in her own room and was delighted to see her phone light up with Jesse's name.

"Hey, you!" She greeted sleepily.

"Hi Sweetheart, I am so sorry I haven't been in contact all day. You'll never believe it but I accidentally left my phone in the hotel room and I just got back a few minutes ago," she can hear the regret in his voice and she isn't mad at him at all.

"It's okay, Jess. I was a little worried, but Hudson actually took my mind off things," she laughs.

She can hear Jesse's smile over the phone, "Oh yeah? Our little monster keep you company?"

"Yeah, Sam and I took him for the night because he was driving Kurt and Blaine nuts. He was an angel while he was here though, go figure."

"You and Sam, huh?" Jesse breathes.

"Jesse, don't…"

He sighs, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little jealous you had a Hudson sleepover without me."

She giggles, "I'm sure they'll be plenty more in our future. Kurt and Blaine are totally burnt out. How was everything with you today?"

"Ray, it was amazing! We did our first screening and we got a standing ovation, can you believe it? This thing might really take off."

"I hope it does, Honey. You've worked so hard and it's truly such a great piece of art."

He takes a little while to answer, "I wish you were here with me, experiencing it all. I miss you, Babe."

"I miss you, too. Don't forget your phone tomorrow or else I won't be so nice!" She warns mockingly.

He chuckles, "I won't, I promise. I hated not hearing your voice all day."

She can't help but yawn into the phone.

"Alright, Ray. I'll let you get to sleep. Working, taking care of a toddler and hosting a guest all in one day probably has you beat."

She nods even though he can't see her, "I'm sorry, I wish I could stay up longer to talk to you."

"Don't worry about it, we'll talk tomorrow. I love you, Doll."

"I love you, Jess. Goodnight."

…..

The rest of the week went off without a hitch. Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany, and Kitty occupied a lot of Sam's time, taking him on excursions, out to bars, and the like while Rachel was at work or otherwise busy. He even came to tour her theatre between shows and stayed for the late one.

She really enjoyed having Sam around and wished he lived as close as the rest of her friends, but she knew that he felt most at home in Ohio.

On Monday, on her off day, she offered to host dinner for all their friends at her Brownstone, opting for an easy yet delicious pasta dish.

She had made this meal so many times but for some reason her brain was just off today and she kept on messing it up. She was more tired than usual and she had even slept in. She just hoped that this fogginess would pass by the time her friends arrived.

Sam poked his head into the kitchen, "Hey Rach, need any help?"

She turned and brushed her hands on her apron, "No, I think I'm okay. Actually… would just mind setting the table? The china is right there in the dining room hutch."

He nods and salutes, "As you wish."

She thanks him and sighs in relief, that's one less thing she has to worry about.

She put the lid over her simmering sauce and leans against the counter to rest. She folds her arms over her chest but then instantly removes them when she feels how sore they are, "Ow!"

She rubs her chest and rolls her eyes when she realizes she's due to get her period any minute.

Just what she needs to really kick start this dinner party.

She's momentarily startled when her phone in her apron pocket vibrates but her mood is lifted when she sees it's a text from Jesse.

He's grinning from ear to ear holding a plaque and he simply writes, "Our first award!"

She's over the moon about his success and quickly writes him back a text of adoration and congratulations.

She wants to call him, but her guests are set to arrive any minute and she knows he's probably out celebrating. She just wishes Sunday would get here sooner.

As expected, Blaine, Kurt and Hudson arrived at 6pm on the dot and Hudson was already permanently perched on her hip, just the way she liked it.

Sam was doing a great job at being a co-host, getting Kurt and Blaine drinks before them even having to ask.

Santana and Brittany arrived with Kitty who looked like she had been through a major war.

Rachel mouthed to her to ask her what happened and Kitty, wide eyed, just mouthed back, "You don't wanna know."

Rachel nodded and got to putting out the appetizers and everyone got settled around the table.

It was all going great, too great she should have realized, until Santana stood up from the table her face pale and stoic.

"Brit's in labor!"

Everyone gaped at the couple and Brittany, who truly did look like she was in a lot of pain, merely whispered, "Santana, I told you. I think the baby is just go-go dancing. We were watching youtube videos all last night…"

"For ten hours?!"

Kitty sighs, "Yeah, Santana, now's a pretty good time to tell you… I think Brittany's water broke on the way here. She just thought she peed herself and was oddly and disgustingly okay with it."

Rachel's eyes practically popped out of her head, "Brittany, you need to go to the hospital! You can't have the baby here!"

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, gripping Santana's hand.

"Guys, I think I'm in labor," Brittany cried and Santana was cooing at her side in an instant, despite her obvious ignorance.

Brittany whispered something in Santana's ear and the woman gulped.

"Um, someone call an ambulance. The baby is crowning."

Rachel wasn't sure if someone could pass out while sitting down, but she was about to find out.

"Let's get her upstairs into a bathtub," Blaine ordered, signaling for Sam to help carry her. Santana trailed behind them and Kitty, Kurt, Rachel, and Hudson were left at the table unaware of what to do.

"I called the ambulance, but honestly, I think she's gunna have that baby before they even get here."

Rachel stared straight into the distance, "I cannot believe that Brittany is giving birth in my house right now."

Kurt put his hand over his, "Blaine and I will get you a new bathtub. We still owe you a birthday and Hanukkah present."

She wheezed and took a deep breath , "Kurt, I think I'm having a heart attack!"

Kurt got up from the table and kneeled next to her, "Rachel, you're fine. Just breathe, okay?"

Tears were falling down her face and she felt like a crazy person, but she couldn't help this overwhelming wave of panic.

"Diva, what has gotten into you? Everything is going to be fine with Brittany, I promise."

"What if it isn't? What if something bad happens… in my house! Jesse isn't here and I—"

She's interrupted from her melt down when they hear Brittany's screams from upstairs.

Kurt's eyes go wide and he ushers Rachel out into the yard to help her catch her breath and to get her away from the anxiety Brittany's labor is causing.

As if he has a sixth sense or something, Jesse calls and Rachel loses it, crying into the phone, telling him all about what's currently going on in their bathroom.

He reassures her that it's fine and that she's not responsible for what happens, good or bad, just because it's occurring in their house.

He notices that she's particularly frantic and he asks her if anything else is bothering her.

She tells him no, and he asks if she wants him to come home from his trip early.

She realizes she must sound like a real basket case if he thinks he needs to fly home to take care of her.

She hangs up with Jesse and finds her resolve. She's even there, holding Brittany's hand as she gives birth to her and Santana's first little girl they name Luna, for the full moon shining right above them through the sky light in Jesse and Rachel's master bathroom.

Blaine and Kurt offer to drive Sam to the airport on Saturday night and Rachel is grateful not because she didn't want to give Sam a proper send off, but because she was feeling so lousy.

She was totally drained and queasy and she isn't sure how she made it through two shows like this.

The second she gets home she makes a b line for her bedroom and lays down and conks out in her yoga gear, too tired to be bothered to change.

She wakes up because she feels someone's eyes on her. She shoots up in bed and sees Jesse looking down at her adoringly. He must've been watching her sleep.

Rachel sits up in bed, perhaps too quickly, because her stomach unceremoniously does a back flip that has her vomiting onto her husband's shoes.

They're both shocked, but once she realizes what she's done she starts to sob.

Jesse removes the puke ridden shoes and climbs onto their bed, taking her into his arms, "Sh, baby it's okay. They're only shoes. Are you alright?"

She sniffles and shakes her head, "I feel like the room is _spinning_."

"You don't have a fever, Doll, "he tells her, his lips to her temple.

She moans and puts her hand to her stomach and Jesse's got their waste basket in front of her face just in time for her to release into it.

The rest of the day goes pretty much like this.

By 3pm, she manages to leave their room and finds Jesse in the kitchen making tea.

"That for me?" she asks, a smile finding it's way to her face for the first time today.

He turns, slightly startled to see her, "Yes, it is. Peppermint, to calm your stomach."

She kisses his cheek, "You're amazing, thank you."

He rubs her back and kisses her forehead, "Go sit down, Babe. I want you to relax."

She does as she's told and Jesse serves her her tea, watching her sip at it amusingly.

"What?" She asks.

He shrugs, "It's just interesting."

She furrows her brow, "What is?"

"I may or may not have been documenting your symptoms all week…"

Her face scrunches in confusion, "My symptoms?"

He nods knowingly, "Your little breakdown over Brittany, how you told me your breasts were weirdly sore, you mentioned your period was coming but you never did tell me you got it, you've been exhausted and you're usually my little energizer bunny, and now… you're getting sick."

She shakes her head, somehow still not grasping what he's insinuating.

He laughs, taking her hands in his, his eyebrow raised, "Or, should I say, _morning sickness_?"

She jumps back and gasps, "You don't think?"

He nods excitedly, "I do."

"You think I'm pregnant?" Her eyes are already filled with water.

"I'm kind of hoping so, yes." He gets up from his seat and sits next to her at their breakfast bench, pulling into her arms.

"I got a test while you were sleeping, Doll. You want to take it?"

She's breathing heavily, all of the weight of this realization crashing down on her at once.

"I can't believe you figured it out before I did! What kind of a woman am I?!" She cries as he rubs her back.

He chuckles and she notes that his smile is wider and brighter than it's ever been.

"An overwhelmed one," he reassures her, placing a delicate kiss to her forehead.

She lets out a long breath and nods, wiping away her tears, "Okay, let's do it."

"Let's do it," Jesse agrees. He takes her hand and leads her to the living room to grab the test and then to the bathroom.

He goes to give her privacy but she doesn't let go of his hand.

"Will you stay with me?"

His face softens, "Of course. I'm right here, Doll. I'm not going _anywhere_."

Jesse's the first one to cry when they read the positive result. She's in his lap, his hands glued to her stomach and he weeps into her neck as he holds her close.

She, of course, cries just a second later, but she thinks that maybe, finally, there'll only be this good kind of crying from now on.

Maybe the sadness, the uncertainty, the waiting… it's all is behind her.

Because now, there was so much more to look forward to.


	3. Forgiveness, Is More Than Saying Sorry

**Well, hello out there to anyone still interested! I (think) I still have a lot left to write about St. Berry and Klaine and Hudson (they'll make a heavy appearance next chapter for sure), so hopefully you'll stick around! Anyway, this chapter takes place after the second chapter, but sort of in-line with the first one. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and bear with Moira. She's not **_**all**_** bad. And yes, the title of this chapter does in fact come from the amazing song Anna Farris sings in "Just Friends."**

….

Rachel Berry loves her husband. Make no mistakes about that. Sure, their reunion eight years ago was unexpected. Life took some twists and turns that ended up leading them towards each other in the end, but she thinks if her life couldn't have gone the way she expected it to, this was a pretty damn good compromise.

She didn't think she'd ever be this happy or this in love again, especially not with the likes of Jesse St. James. But she _was_ and she _is_ and no, it's nothing like the love she had with Finn, but it's not better or worse, it's just _different_.

She thinks she loves Jesse most when she has her occasional melancholy moods over Finn. He tells her she isn't ridiculous or pathetic. He believes, just as she does, that they were soulmates. And he tells her that it isn't anyone's fault that they found each other so early on in life and that Finn left that life too soon. It's just, unfortunately, the way it is.

And so, because her husband loves her so unconditionally and she him, she is forced to put up with his mother, who she absolutely does _not_ love unconditionally.

Or at all, really.

But, she and Jesse have two unprecedented weeks off of work with her ending her show and him ending his (and okay, they planned it that way with the baby and everything, but still) and the workshop for the play they plan on co-producing together won't even start casting for three weeks.

And so, considering neither of them has seen Jesse's family since Thanksgiving and it's now late April, Mrs. Moira St. James insists on them staying in Carmel with her. Jesse looks so thrilled to be able to see his mother and his father and his brother and sister that she can't bring herself to say no. So, she cheerfully agrees and now here she is, sitting in the back of the St. James town car, rolling her eyes so far into the back of her head that they might actually stay there.

Moira is fussing over Jesse, complaining that his hair is too long and it looks unprofessional. This angers Rachel because she's the one who told him to grow his hair out. She_ loves_ his dirty blond curls.

He tells her its fine, Rachel likes it that way, and without having to turn her head she can feel Moira's eyes on her.

"Rachel, darling, you've hardly said a word this entire trip," she says under a sweet façade.

Rachel plasters a similarly fake smile to her face and turns towards her mother-in-law, "I'm just tired, Moira. My apologies."

Jesse squeezes her knee and leans over to give her kiss on the temple.

"Rachel has been a little under the weather the past few days," Jesse explains to his mother.

Moira grimaces, "Well, I certainly hope it's nothing contagious. Your brother and sister have small children around who can't afford to get sick."

Rachel grits her teeth, "No, Moira. I surely wouldn't have come if I thought I may pass on an illness to my nieces and nephews."

Jesse can feel the tension and wants so badly to break it, "Rachel's anemic, Mother, and so it's not unusual for her to have bouts of exhaustion and the like."

Moira purses her lips and eyes Rachel, "Just making sure, Rachel. It's not like you and Jesse have children of your _own_, so you probably wouldn't know how susceptible they are to getting sick."

Rachel grips the handle of the door so tightly her knuckles turn white. The second they pull into the St. James estate and park in the garage she's out of the door, marching into the house and up to the designated guest room that has been assigned to her and Jesse since their marriage four years ago.

She plops herself down on the plush king sized bed and tries to will the tears away that are building up in her eyes.

She squeezes her eyes shut, takes a deep breath, and when she's opened them again Jesse is knelt in front of her with his hands on her knees.

"I'm sorry," he says, taking her face in his hands and kissing her.

She pulls back and crosses her arms over her chest, "I am sick of being treated like a second class citizen by her, Jesse!"

He sighs, running his hands over her face, "Don't take it personally, Rachel. I'm her baby and she just has a difficult time letting me go."

"You're going to be 31 years old! It's time for her to cut the cord!"

"I know, I know, I'll talk to her, okay?" He tries to gently nudge her face in his direction but she firmly keeps it faced away from him.

"Rachel, come on. What has you so upset? She's always like this…"

She bites the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions in check, "Her insinuation."

"What? What'd she insinuate?"

"That I was keeping you from having children."

He laughs, "I didn't get that at all."

"Because you aren't a woman! We have our own, secret, passive aggressive language. And trust me, she was screaming, 'Heartless, barren woman" right to my face!"

He hangs his head, bracing himself before looking back up at her, "Ray, why do you care if she thinks that? You _are_ pregnant; she just doesn't know it yet."

"So, _exactly._"

"Ray, my mother knows how busy we've both been the last few years. Besides, you're only 29, I highly doubt she expected a brood by now."

Rachel huffs, standing up from the bed, "You know what, Jesse? Keep on defending your mother even though she's dead wrong. I'm going to take a bath, I have an awful headache and this argument just made it worse."

She rummages through the closet to pull out a plush bathrobe and an equally plush towel, "Doll, this wasn't an argument. And I thought we were going to take a bath together…"

He reaches out to caress her arm, but she quickly brushes him off, "I changed my mind. I'll see you at dinner."

And with that, she marched into the en suite bathroom and slammed the door directly in his face.

….

Jesse sat uncomfortably at the dinner table with his sister, brother and their spouses and children, and his parents sat impatiently for Rachel to join them before eating.

Whitney, Jesse's sister, shot him a look, "I love your wife, I really do, but I am eight months pregnant. And if she doesn't get down here in five minutes, I'm going to have _her _for dinner."

Jesse's brother, Caleb, chimed in, "Honestly, Jess, we've been waiting for twenty minutes. Brock and Bradley are getting antsy," he complained, pointing to his five and six year old sons who were playing tug of war with their cloth napkins.

"It's positively rude!" Moira sneered, smacking her hand on the table.

Jesse's father rolled his eyes, "Oh will you give that poor girl a break, Moira? You're on her case from the moment she walks in the door."

Moira's eyes go wide and she looks at her husband like he's an absolute traitor, "Quentin, you stay out of this!"

"Jesse's my boy, we're talking about his wife, I am very much _in _this. So, now that that's settled, I say leave her be! I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason for being late to dinner. The girl's never been late for anything since we've known her. Now, enough!"

Finally, when he couldn't stand the tension (this was starting to be a theme), he got up from his seat, "I'm going to go check on Rachel. But please, eat."

He ran to the main foyer and sprinted up the stairs and down the hall to their room. He pushed the door open, "Rachel, we're all waiting for y—"

But, he stopped speaking when he realized no one was there. He noticed the bathroom door was still shut and a sliver of light was peeking through and so he knocked on the door, "Rachel?"

But she didn't answer.

"Ray, this really isn't the time to be angry with me."

Still no answer.

And so he tried the door and luckily, she hadn't locked it, because he found her fast asleep in the tub, her mouth and nose dangerously close to the water's edge. She must've slid down in her sleep. Considering he left her to take a bath over an hour ago, he's implicitly concerned for her.

He grabs the towel before taking her out of the bath and he wraps her in it, carrying her to their bed.

She stirs slightly, "Jesse?"

"Yeah, Doll?"

"What are you doing?" She rubs her eyes and tries to get her bearings. She realizes she's nude save for the towel and Jesse's eyes scream worry as he hovers over her.

He sighs, brushing a hand through her wet hair, "You fell asleep in the bath and were very nearly a goner."

Her eyes bulge, "I fell asleep? I never do that! Oh god, thank you for checking in on me."

She goes to sit up and she grabs her head.

"What's wrong, Ray?" Jesse asks.

"My head is still killing me. I don't know how to shake it."

"Want me to get you some medicine?" He's so soft and sweet with her that she feels like a total shrew for the way she acted before.

She shakes her head, "No, I don't want to hurt the baby."

He frowns as he watches her shiver and quickly retrieves her robe from the bathroom, helping her to get dressed in it.

"Didn't the doctor say that Tylenol was okay?" he pushed, hating seeing her like this.

She shakes her head, "I don't care, god forbid it did something I'd never forgive myself."

"Babe, the doctor knows what he's talking about, I don't want you to suffer unnecessarily."

"Protecting my baby is not unnecessary," she growls, pulling the robe ties tight.

Jesse sighs, "_Our_ baby, you mean."

Rachel rolls her eyes and gets up from the bed to brush her hair in the vanity mirror.

"Speaking of _our_ baby, when are we going to tell your mother?"

Jesse walks behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I thought we'd take her and my father out to dinner and tell them, make it a special occasion."

"It will be if your mother doesn't claw my eyes out."

He snorts, "You're being ridiculous. My mother is going to be _tickled_ that I'm giving her another grandchild."

"I'm sure she will be but it'll only make her hate me more. She looks at me like the harlot who stole you away from her."

"You should be flattered. She never acted this hostile to any other girlfriend. She's especially threatened by you because she knows how in love with you I am."

"I suppose that's sweet in a really sick, backwards way," she says completely unamused. She gets up from the vanity and goes to put on the simple, sleek black maxi dress she laid out for herself before her bath.

Jesse raises an eyebrow, "You're going to join us for dinner?"

She nods, "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Because you aren't feeling well," he reminds her, as if she could forget.

"I won't be for another eight months. Might as well get used to it."

"I know you might not feel it right now, but you look stunning Rachel, truly," he grabs her hands in his and presses his lips against hers.

She shakes her head, "I'm gross. I'm bloated and pale and, when I'm not getting sick, some other odd symptom comes up…"

"I guess you can't see it yourself, but you're glowing. I'm surprised mother didn't suspect it the minute she saw you."

She snorts, her resolve breaking, "Glowing? Jesse, sometimes you can be positively cliché."

"It's not a cliché, Ray. You're radiant. You're carrying my child and you've never been more beautiful to me."

….

Her MO for the day is to somehow escape the clutches of an overbearing Moira and discretely get to a spa so she can completely de-stress from the last few days, nay months, of work, work, work… and Moira.

But, that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

From the second she wakes up, she's occupied…literally.

She's awoken from her slumber to Jesse sucking at her neck while she's nestled in his arms. She tries to protest and tells him morning sex in his parents' house when everyone is downstairs having breakfast is classless, but he whispers to her, "We didn't get to yesterday, Babe," in this sexy, husky voice and she's not even certain why she cares what's appropriate in Moira's house because she can't do anything right anyway.

So, they do, and it's _amazing_, and she thinks she was louder than she ever intended to be. Jesse just grins when she asks him if she thinks the maid heard.

She tells him he's a disgusting pig and he just grabs her and puts another tantalizing kiss on her lips and okay, she's already forgiven him.

He ends up taking her again in the shower and she practically forgets all about the spa and even Moira as she digs into her yogurt and granola bowl until the cook brings out Jesse's father's steaming plate of steak and eggs.

She gags instantaneously and plasters her hand to her mouth. Everyone around the table is too busy discussing this morning's Wall Street Journal to notice how suddenly she's been stricken. Well, everyone except Moira, who eyes her suspiciously, "Rachel, _Darling_, are you alright?"

Considering she's currently green, it's pretty obvious she isn't alright, but Moira's questioning causes all eyes to be on her.

She whimpers, trying to hold her composure, but one of the maids opens the door sending a whoosh of air carrying the smell up into her nostrils and she bolts out of her seat.

She makes it only halfway to the bathroom before her stomach gives way. She manages to find a vase and sees no other option but to release inside of it, and so she does.

"Oh, Ray," Jesse coos, finding her hunched over in the hall, crying into the vase.

"This probably costs $5,000!" she wails, her hand trying to quell her wild stomach.

He laughs lightly and wraps his arms around her, "I don't care about some antique vase. I care about you. We should really get you to a doctor, Honey. You haven't been feeling well for a while."

She tells him that this is just their baby's effect on her body, but he thinks it's something more.

He's watched their friends go through pregnancy, his sister twice, his sister-in-law and no one has seemed to have as difficult a time as Rachel has had in just the past couple of months.

"I think I just need to lay down," she insists, gripping his arm for support.

"Rachel, I'd feel a lot better if you had a doctor look you over," he explains, combing her hair with his hand.

She shakes her head, "My doctor is in New York, Jess. We'd have to go through the insurance to find one here, it's not worth it. I'll be okay."

He sighs, knowing he's not going to win this battle, and carefully leads her upstairs to their room.

….

When she's confident she overheard that Jesse would be going out to the grounds to play tennis with his brother, she sneaks out of the room and tip toes down the stairs, successfully making it to the garage where their driver, Timothy, was waiting.

"Hey, Tim," Rachel beams.

"Well, hello Mrs. St. James, how are you on this fine day?"

She blushes, "Please, call me Rachel. Mrs. St. James is my mother-in-law…"

They both can't hide the grimace that crosses their faces.

"Well then, Rachel. Where to?"

She leans closer, whispering to him, "This is a covert mission to the nearest spa. You feel me, Tim?"

He looks unsure at first, so Rachel pulls out the big guns.

"You're looking a little stiff yourself there, Tim. Like you could use, oh I don't know, an hour long shiatsu massage?"

He nods, winking at her, "You got it."

….

As her luck would have it, they got a flat tire before they were even able to get to the damn spa. She sat there, harrumphing, as Tim called Triple A. When he was done and alerted them to the fact he was a star member, he called to Rachel in the back seat, "Would you like me to call Mr. Jesse for you, Rachel? I don't want you to have to sit here all day."

She thinks about it, because no, she really doesn't want to sit here either, but Jesse picking her up would totally blow her cover and Moira would know she wasn't just "resting" in the guest room and that she purposely avoided her at all costs.

So, she calls in the troops.

The phone only has to ring once before they pick up, "Dads? I need your help…"

….

Having told her dads about her pregnancy a few weeks ago when they came to New York, they've been even more overprotective and overbearing than usual.

They get her in record time and all she wants to do is take a nap in their comfy backseat, but her Daddy is going on and on about her pregnancy and she feels rude just conking out in the middle of it.

"You did it all, Rachela. You got your education, you got your Tony, you got married, and now you're having a baby! This is just… it's so wonderful! This is the best thing any gay, Jewish dad could ask for!"

LeRoy puts his hand to his husband's knee, "Hiram, Sweetheart, we've told her this already. The poor thing looks like she hasn't slept in weeks. Let her get some rest."

Hiram huffs but then he looks in his rearview mirror at his daughter who is struggling to keep her big brown eyes open.

He smiles back at LeRoy and winks.

….

Sometimes Rachel forgets that having a husband means she can't just do anything that she wants. Well, she can, but she also probably should tell him about what she does or else stuff like this happens.

Stuff, as in the Carmel PD tracing her phone to where she and Tim got stuck about 20 miles out on the side of the highway, because then her phone died.

So, being woken up from her amazing six or seven hour nap (if you can still call that a nap) to the news that Jesse thinks she's been kidnapped and thrown in a ditch somewhere is only slightly alarming.

Because, you know, she's not actually in a ditch.

But her Papa wakes her up to relay the news that they have her hysterical husband on the phone that refuses to be calmed down until he hears her voice.

He hands her the phone and she groggily sits up on the bed and answers, "Hello?"

"Oh god, Baby, I thought you were _dead_!" He starts crying and Rachel's not sure she ever felt guilt so strong.

"Jesse, I'm fine! I'm _perfectly_ okay!" She tries to tell him but it just makes him cry more.

"I thought I had lost everything, Rachel. You, the baby… I don't ever want to feel that way ever again. Don't do this to me ever again!"

She doesn't know why she starts to cry too, she figures it's the hormones, "I'm so sorry! I was just trying to have a spa day and we got a flat tire and my phone died and I was so tired and I wasn't thinking! I'm the worst wife in the whole world!"

She can hear him sniffle and his tone evens out when he hears how upset she's become, "Hey, hey calm down, Ray. It's alright, it was all a misunderstanding I'm just… I was beside myself. I love you and you're an amazing wife. Listen, I'm going to come pick you up, okay? I have to see you."

"Okay," she sniffles, her hand ghosting over her tummy.

….

"Ah, Jesse! Good to see you son. Hiram and I were just going to pick up dinner, will you be joining us?"

Jesse stands in the Berry living room, hands stuffed in his pockets to keep from fidgeting, a very unexpected mannerism for a person usually oozing with confidence,"I, uh, sure, Mr. Berry. Dinner sounds great."

"Wonderful! We're having Chinese," LeRoy explains. The older man eyes the younger one whose gaze is fixated on the staircase.

"Go on up and see her, she's waiting for you."

Jesse nods appreciatively and takes the stairs two at a time. He gets to her bedroom door and knocks gently before pushing his way in, "Doll, it's me."

He finds her standing in front of her mirror, shirt pulled up. He can tell that she's trying to get a better look on the progress of her little belly and his heart soars when he notes there has definitely been a change, just within a few days.

She pulls her shirt down and turns to him sheepishly with a shrug, "Wanted to get a better look at our little one."

Jesse grins as he walks over to her, his arms wrapping around her waist the instant he gets close enough.

He leans down to place a kiss to her forehead, "Can Daddy get a better look, too?"

She giggles and nods, "Of course."

She turns in his arms and lifts up her shirt, both taking in her side profile from the mirror. Jesse's hands snake around to take hold of either side of her little tummy.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers as he leans down to kiss her neck.

"I'm also unusually big for someone my size," she mutters, her eyes intently following her hand as it rounds her bump.

"Ray, you look adorable. It's all belly, anyway."

She sighs, "I guess it's a good thing, right? It means our baby is growing."

"Exactly, it's a very good thing."

She leans her head back against his chest and he massages her hips and her belly until he finally makes his way to her breasts.

She lets out a guttural moan, "Think we can do it before my dads get back?"

He doesn't even answer, the sound of his pants unzipping is all she needs to know that they most certainly _can_.

….

"Papa, Daddy, I can't believe that you found such an amazing Chinese place in Lima," Rachel moans as she slurps up another forkful of lo mein.

"See what you miss when you're gone for so long, Star?" Hiram responds, raising his eyebrow.

Jesse can see Rachel's face fall. She swallows hard, "We're going to visit more often once the baby comes, we promise. Right, Jess?"

Jesse squeezes her knee and smiles sympathetically at his in-laws, "Absolutely. We want our son or daughter to be close with their grandparents."

Hiram seems placated by this, "I know you two have busy schedules, I don't expect you to fly down all the time. But, you know, a few times a year would be nice."

"Hiram, we can also go to New York a bit more as well. That's the kids' home…"

"Excuse me," Rachel breathes, getting up from the table. Not meaning to make a dramatic storm out, for once, she makes a b-line for the bathroom. She seriously wonders how her bladder can go from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds.

Rachel could sing from relief as she pees. All finished, she turns to flush the toilet and stares down at a toilet tainted red.

She gasps, her hand shooting to her heart and she braces herself on the counter. But when she looks down, she notices that the toilet isn't the only thing that's red. Her underwear is, too.

"JESSE!" She screams with all her might.

She can hear the chairs screech from the dining room and a stampede of the three men to where she waits down the hall.

She opens the door to all of them, looking absolutely frantic, and she begins to hyperventilate.

"There's…I'm…" she fights to get the words out between sobs and heaves, "I'm bleeding."

"_Bleeding_?" Jesse croaks, stepping into the bathroom and looking down at the evidence, "Oh god."

"Are you alright? Are you in pain?" He asks as he grips her face in his hands.

"No," she cries, totally exasperated. How can she be bleeding and not be in pain?

Without warning, Jesse lifts her up into his arms and LeRoy and Hiram trail close behind.

"We're going to the hospital, okay?" Jesse explains to Rachel calmly.

She nods and cries into his shirt.

"We'll drive you." LeRoy offers.

….

Jesse's sat in a waiting room chair his head practically between his knees as he pulls at his hair. He can hear Hiram and LeRoy nervously whispering, making comments on how it can't be good that it's taking this long to hear back from Rachel's doctors.

He tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Maybe he let her lift something he shouldn't have, or put her under too much stress with his family. Or, perhaps it was the plane ride and the general fatigue she's been experiencing since going non-stop ever since they found out.

All he knows, is that it's his fault. He's her husband, he was supposed to take care of her. And he failed. She'll probably never forgive him for it, either. She's already experienced so much loss in her life, and now this? He doesn't blame her. He doesn't think he'll ever forgive himself, either.

"Jesse?" His head perks up at the sound of LeRoy's voice and he notices that Rachel's nurse is standing there.

"Mr. St James, your wife is asking for you. Would you like to see her?"

He gets up eagerly, "Yes, please. Is she alright?"

The nurse gives a polite smile, "She's doing well, just resting."

He lets out a breath of relief. At least she's okay.

He pushes open the door and sees her with her hands on her teeny tiny belly. He wants to throw up, because although he's certain he knows what happened, hearing it, having it confirmed is going to gut him.

"Hey, Sweetheart," He coos, walking over to her.

She looks up at him expectantly, her big brown eyes swimming with tears, "Jesse."

He leans down to kiss her and leans his forehead against hers, "Ray, I am so sorry."

She jerks her head back, "No, Jesse, there isn't anything to be sorry for."

He protests, "Yes, it's all my fault."

"Well, it is your fault, "she snorts.

He's befuddled at her reaction. She's… she's laughing when he's filled to the brim with guilt and remorse? He's heard people having strange reactions to loss before but this was certainly unexpected. And a little off putting.

She can tell he's confused and so she takes his hand and orders him to sit down.

She bites her lip to try and hide her wide smile, but she can't.

"You're never going to believe this," she starts, squeezing his hand tighter, "But not only is everything okay, it's… _too_ okay."

He furrows his brow, "How can it be _too _okay? You mean that the baby is still—"

"The babies are fine," she smiles.

He lets out a breath and finally relaxes as he repeats her statement, "The babies are fine."

When he hears it on his own lips he practically jumps out of his seat, "Wait a minute. Did you say babies, plural?"

She giggles, gripping his shirt, "I sure did."

"What? How?" He's staring down at her in wonderment, his heart palpitating at the highs and lows of the last five minutes.

She shrugs, "I guess we're just lucky. Apparently the bleeding is a common thing when carrying multiples and it's no real reason for alarm. They just want me to take it easy and supplement all the fluids I'm losing from puking my brains out."

"This is amazing. Rachel, I- Thank you. I'm so happy," he presses his lips against hers and she responds with an equal fervor.

….

Needless to say, after the hospital scare, Jesse has been up her ass… for lack of a better term.

They ended up having to keep Rachel overnight for observations and so Jesse had to tell his family over the phone, without all the bells and whistles.

It's probably selfish, but Rachel was glad she wasn't there to hear whatever dig Moira had prepared to ruin her amazing news.

It's bad enough that once she gets back, Moira barges into her room with a bag full of parenting books.

"Rachel, _Darling_, I am so glad you're alright," She says, placing the bag on the bed next to Rachel who has been comfortably tucked in by Jesse.

She smiles at her mother in law, "Moira, you didn't need to get me anything."

Moira waves her hand, "It's nothing. I want you to be prepared for motherhood, the money was worth it."

Rachel grits her teeth as Jesse's mother pulls out the books and shows her the titles. "What Not To Do While You're Pregnant, Most Common Pregnancy Mistakes, Pregnancy for Dummies…"

Rachel's sure there is actual steam coming out of her ears as Moira pulls out even more novels catered to how horrible of a mother she is already.

She clenches her fist and slams it down on the bed, "MOIRA! Enough!"

The older woman is startled, her hand gripping at her heart, "Rachel, that is no way to address your mother-in-law."

She blows out a breath, trying to calm herself down but she can't, "This is no way to address me! I am your son's wife! I am the mother of your grandchildren! I deserve some respect from you!"

Rachel's anger and frustration is channeled into tears and she begins to sob in front of her startled mother-in-law. Moira just sort of stands there and gapes before Jesse comes into the room, his eyes wide.

"Doll, what's wrong?" He asks frantically, rushing to her side.

She shakes her head, unable to speak, and presses her face into his shirt. He holds her and notices his mother's guilty gaze and then all of the books spread out on the bed.

"You know what, Mother? I've had just about enough of you. Rachel and I will be leaving first thing in the morning and I won't be returning until you learn how to treat the woman I love. Now please, get out."

Moira looks beyond wounded but surprisingly obliges and slinks out of the room.

Jesse leans his chin on the top of Rachel's head as he rubs her back, "I'm sorry for her, Rachel. You were right, how she treats you is completely unacceptable."

Rachel sniffles and wipes at her eyes, "I don't want to cause a riff between you and your mother, Jesse. I just want her to accept me as part of your family."

"You are my family, Rachel. You and our children are what matters the most to me and if my mother can't find it in her heart to see how special and amazing you are, then she's not someone I want to be around."

….

When Moira doesn't even approach them at breakfast the next morning, Jesse has the maid pack their bags and he and Rachel head to the airport.

He's quiet the entire ride and Rachel can't help but feel responsible for his dismal mood.

They get home and he insists on bringing all of their bags in. She follows him up to their bedroom and he gets her situated before retreating to the music room.

Rachel's tired, exhausted actually, but she can't shake the nagging feeling she has about the entire Moira situation. Did she handle it properly? Well, of course not, she screamed at her. But, it was only because she brought her to her breaking point. Then she thinks of Jesse and how sad he must be that they've gotten into a serious fight as he's about to have his first children.

She throws her legs over the edge of the bed and walks downstairs. She doesn't knock on the door before pushing it open and she finds him in his chair, leafing through an old photo album, with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Jess," she coos, walking over him and sitting in his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and he drops the book, hugging her back in kind.

"I'm sorry, call her and tell her everything's fine. I just overreacted, I'm hormonal and emotions were high after my hospital stay…"

"No," he counters. "I have to take a stand, Rachel. It kills me and I wish it wasn't this way, but she has a lot of shaping up to do before she earns a proper relationship with me or our children."

"Honey, I know you're angry but you can't begrudge her her grandchildren…"

His resolve doesn't break, "I can and I will if it comes down to it."

He pushes a lock of hair behind her ear and gazes into her eyes pensively, "When I thought that we lost the baby, and that you were hurt, everything became crystal clear to me. You're everything to me, Rachel. You come first, in all aspects of my life."

"I love you," she whispers.

He leans his forehead against hers, "I love you more than you'll ever know."

….

A month passes, and the standstill between Jesse and Moira continues.

Rachel doesn't even breech the subject, because every time she does he gives her the same answer, "If she wants to speak with me, she knows what she has to do."

But it's his birthday in a few days and she can't bear the thought, especially now that she's almost a mother, of a mother and son not being on speaking terms on such a hallowed day.

"Caleb and Anna are bringing the boys over for your birthday dinner Friday," She smiles at him as he dresses for bed.

He smiles back at her curtly, "That's great, Doll. Looking forward to it."

"I spoke to Whitney and she wishes she could but she's about to pop any minute so she doesn't want to risk the trip. But her, David, and Abigail send their love."

"I'll have to call her," he says, his voice monotone as he throws on a pajama shirt.

She bites her lip, "Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany, Kitty, and my dads all said they were coming, too."

He sighs, rubbing his face.

"Ray, enough about my birthday. I'm going to be 31, it doesn't have to be some big soiree."

"Jess, I just want to do something nice for you."

He climbs into bed and gives her a stern look, "I appreciate it, but I'm tired, I have a 16 hour day ahead of me, and I don't feel like further exhausting myself over something so trivial."

She's been taking a lot of Jesse's poor attitude lately because she feels partly responsible for it, but this latest hit was just about enough.

"You know what, fine. I'll call to cancel your stupid birthday dinner."

"Fine!" He calls back to her.

"Fine!" She yells back. She gets up out of bed and grabs her pillow and storms off to the guest bedroom.

She thinks she hears him calling after her but she refuses to even be in the same room as his ungrateful self right now, much less the same bed.

Normally, it'd take her forever to sleep if she and Jesse were in a fight, but his two babies were sucking all the energy out of her and she managed to fall asleep only a few minutes after getting comfortable in their guest bed.

She stirred awake at 3am to pee and was momentarily confused when she felt Jesse's arm wrapped around her waist.

Annoyed, and concerned that her bladder was about to burst she tried to wrangle out of his grasp but she couldn't.

"Jesse!" She hissed, pushing him. "Jesse, let me go. I have to pee!"

He woke with a start and let her go. She ran to the bathroom to relieve herself and by the time she returned he was sitting up in bed, totally awake.

She crossed her arms over her chest when she saw him, "What are you doing in here?"

"I missed you," he confessed.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to punch him or hug him.

"Yeah, well, I'm mad at you and I came in here for a reason."

He frowned, "I know you're angry with me. I came in to apologize but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"So you forced yourself into my bed?" She scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Rachel," he warned at the start of her dramatics, "Don't be like this. I love you and I couldn't sleep without you. I'm sorry."

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes as she felt the familiar pressure on her bladder.

"One second," she groaned as she ran into the bathroom to pee again.

She returned and Jesse's smirked, 'The babies driving you crazy?"

"They're only thirteen weeks old. I can only imagine when they're thirteen years old, god help us."

He chuckled, his eyes shining as he crawled to the edge of the bed. He reached out and pulled her onto it with him, taking her into his lap.

She gave a weak sign of protest but just went with it, "I'm still mad at you, you know."

"Ray, I mean it. I feel terrible about what I said. I love you and I am so grateful that you're planning me such a nice dinner for my birthday, especially when you've been so tired and sick. It's just… you know that things are still strained with my mother and I took it out on you and that was wrong."

She smiled sheepishly, "That was a pretty epic apology. I guess I have to accept."

He laughed at her antics, "You're the best. I don't deserve you."

"Eh, probably not. But I love you so I think I'll keep you around. Plus, I don't think I can take care of two infants alone. "

….

"Cook-ies, cook-ies, cook-ies!" Hudson chanted, his little chef's hat askew on his head. Rachel snorted as she watched the three year old stir at the batter like he was beating it to death.

Kurt stilled his little arm, "Huddy, careful. You're going to pull a muscle."

Kurt and Hudson came over to help Rachel bake and cook for Jesse's dinner and so far, Hudson had been a fantastic sous chef.

"You know, Kurt. I think this kid may actually have some culinary talent," Rachel says, rubbing her hand over her apron clad belly.

Kurt's eyes glistened, "You think so, too? I swear, Rachel. His palette has been top notch since weaning off the breast milk and I've been trying to let him help me make meals a few times a week. I think I'm going to enroll him in cooking classes," he cheered, clapping his hands in front of his face.

Rachel put her hand on her best friend's shoulder, "Take a breather, Kurt. He can't even go number 2 alone yet."

Kurt tilted his head and nodded, "You're probably right. I just want him to have enough time to really prepare for Master Chef Jr."

"I always say it's best to start them young as well," Rachel and Kurt's heads snap over to where Jesse just appeared in the room.

"What are you doing home? We haven't even set up for your party yet!" She says, hurrying over to him and giving him a kiss.

He grabs her hips and pulls her in for another one before giving an excited wave to Hudson.

"Everyone at the theater told me to go home early because it was my birthday. And I thought, you know, I'd rather be at home anyway."

She leans her head into the crook of his arm as Kurt walked over to give Jesse a hug.

"Happy Birthday, St. James. You're a lot less awful than I thought you were in high school."

Jesse and Kurt shared a hearty laugh and Kurt scrambled into the living room to grab his gift for Jesse.

It was an envelope and Jesse looked at Rachel skeptically.

He ripped it open and sand came pouring out.

"Kurt," Rachel groaned, walking to the closet to retrieve a broom.

"Well, why don't you see what I got you before you yell at me!"

Jesse pulls out two tickets and gasps, "Cabo?"

"Rachel, they're sending us on a trip to Cabo!"

She drops the broom and sends it clanging against the hardwood floor, "Kurt Hummel!"

"What you can send my kid to Disney but I can't splurge on a little babymoon for my friends?"

She laughed, "Okay, I guess when you put it that way. Thank you, so much."

She gives him a kiss on his cheek and Jesse gives him a tight hug, "This is so nice of you guys, I think a little getaway is just what Rachel needs."

….

Jesse's birthday dinner almost goes off without a hitch, until his brother Caleb brings up their mother.

Everyone's relaxing in the living room, hanging out until Rachel sets out the dessert, when Caleb comes up next to Jesse at the bar as he's making himself a drink.

"I talked to mother today," He says casually, fishing a few ice cubes from the bucket.

Jesse eyes him, "And?"

Caleb shrugs, "She told me she sent you a birthday card."

Jesse sighs, "She did."

Caleb takes the whiskey from his brother's hand and pours, "So, did you thank her?"

Jesse rolls his eyes, "Caleb, a birthday card is hardly the apology that Rachel and I deserve. She needs to learn to swallow her pride."

Caleb swishes the ice in his glass, "Listen, I get it. I love Anna more than anything in this world, but I'd be damned if I lost my relationship with my own mother over a stupid cat fight!"

Jesse slams his drink down, causing everyone in the room to look their way, "Stop trivializing this! Rachel isn't going anywhere and mother is going to have to get used to it."

"She doesn't want Rachel to go anywhere, Jesse. She's just difficult, that's how mother is!"

"She doesn't treat your wife like this, so you don't understand how I feel."

Caleb sighs, "Yeah well my wife is a little more demure than yours, let's be honest."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Anna knows her place, Rachel doesn't."

"Her _place_?" Jesse seethes.

"Oh don't be like this, you know what I mean. Rachel's prone to speaking out of turn, she's blunt."

"Rachel is entitled to her own opinions, because she's a human just like you and I. Caleb I seriously think you should shut up before this goes somewhere you don't want it to."

Caleb gulps at his glass, "Listen, I didn't mean any offense. I—"

"Come on in everyone, the cake is ready," Jesse's heart plummets when he sees his wife's eyes welling with tears and hears her voice on the verge of cracking.

He knows she just heard the exchange between him and Caleb and he doesn't feel like celebrating at all.

She puts on a brave face for the remainder of the party, but once the last guest leaves, she becomes sullen and withdrawn.

She goes to clean up the mess but Jess comes behind her and stops her, "Don't you dare. You've been working so hard all night. I've got this."

"It's your birthday," she tries to protest.

"And you're four months pregnant with my twins," he counters.

She hangs her head, "I guess I am pretty tired."

He wraps his arms around her waist and rubs his hands over her belly, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she says weakly.

"Ray…"

"Your family hates me," she squeaks, her resolve breaking.

"Doll, that is not true."

She sniffles, "I heard Caleb."

"Caleb's just a caveman. He really likes you, he's just… a chauvinistic asshole sometimes. Anna's a sweet girl, but she's a little dull, don't you think?"

Rachel lets out a laugh, "Jesse that's terrible. Anna has been nothing but gracious to us."

He groans, "You're right. But, what I'm trying to say is, he'd prefer to be married to a brick wall. I enjoy having a partner, someone who challenges me, someone who makes me better."

She turns to look at him, "You think I make you better?"

He smiles and grazes his nose against hers, "No, I _know_ you do."

….

It's just a regular Wednesday, and Rachel is almost on her way out of the door. She's running late to meet with Blaine because he's written her a song he's dying for her to sing in his and Jesse's new musical and it's their first practice. But, then the doorbell rings and she's made even later. She figures it's just some girl scouts or something, so she throws her bag over her shoulder and fishes out her wallet, prepared to buy a box or 7 of Samoas and then throw them in the house and lock the door.

So, you could say she was surprised to see Moira on her doorstep, rather than a gaggle of ten year olds in green and plaid jumpers, armed with delectable sweets.

"Moira!" She gawks, eyes wide as she clutches her wallet.

For the first time ever, Moira looks embarrassed, "Hello, Rachel. How are you?"

"I—I'm well," she says stumbling over her words, trying to hide her shock.

She watches as Moira's eyes shift from her face to her now rounded belly. She may only be 14 weeks pregnant, but she's got two babies in there and they've made themselves known.

"You look beautiful," she remarks.

Now, Rachel's certain she's in the Twilight Zone.

"May I come in?" Moira asks, unsure.

Rachel gapes and wants to explain to Moira that she actually has plans, but she doesn't have the heart to rub the salt any further in her mother-in-law's wounds. It's clear she's come here with her tail between her legs.

Rachel smiles, "Of course."

….

Rachel pours Moira a cup of tea and places it down in front of her at the grand, marble kitchen island she's sat at.

Moira thanks her quietly and sips.

Rachel, completely baffled as to what to do, rambles on.

"You know Jesse won't be home from work for a few hours…"

Moira places the mug down, "I'm not here solely to see my son. That's why I came so early. I'm here to see you, I think, most importantly."

Rachel takes a seat at that admission.

Rachel doesn't know what to say, so she sends up a silent thanks when Moira continues, "I believe that I owe you a sincere apology."

Rachel pinches herself under the table to make sure she isn't dreaming, or, like, dead.

"Moira—" she starts to protest, not being able to stand the awkwardness of the moment.

"No, Rachel. You were right and I was wrong. I have never treated you the way I should have and I'm sorry." She's avoiding eye contact with the younger woman, but it's not because she's being insincere. Rachel knows it's because she feels true regret.

"I forgive you, Moira. That's very big of you," Rachel concedes as she rubs her hands over her belly. Moira may not ever be her favorite person, but if she's apologizing and willing to make amends, she's not going to strain a relationship between her children and their grandmother from before birth.

Moira smiles weakly and sips at her tea.

Rachel can't help it, though. Her abrasive nature takes hold.

"Why though? Why don't you like me?"

Moira sort of chokes on the drink but manages to swallow. She blushes and shakes her head, "It's not that I don't like you, Rachel. You're an exceptional girl." Rachel blushes at the long awaited compliment.

Moira puts a shaky hand to her forehead, it's obvious she doesn't do the humble thing well… or often.

"It's just… I suppose, I've always been jealous of you."

Rachel's mouth hangs wide open, "Really?"

"Rachel, Sweetheart, is that really so hard to grasp? You've excelled in every area of your life and did it all while still maintaining a wonderful relationship with my son. And now, now you even get to enjoy success _and_ motherhood."

Rachel's actually a bit perturbed by the revelation, "Moira, I've worked very hard at everything I've done and my life has been_ far_ from easy—"

"Rachel, you're misunderstanding me. I'm not jealous because I think you've had everything handed to you. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm jealous because you dared when I didn't. For lack of a better term, Darling, I never possessed the balls you do."

Unable to do anything but snort, Rachel covered her mouth, trying and failing to hide her laughter. But, rather than get angry, a funny thing happened. Moira laughed along with her.

"Well, it's true, you know. I always wanted to open my own store, full of knitted scarves and hats and booties and sweaters, but I was simply too scared. What if I failed, you know?"

Rachel ponders this for a moment.

"It's never too late to try."

Moira waves her off, "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Rachel beamed when a thought struck her instantly, "Have you ever heard of a thing called Etsy?"

….

Jesse returns home from a long, hard day at the theater to a scene that nearly makes him pass out. There, in his living room, is his wife and mother glued next to one another on the couch, laughing at something they're both looking at on Rachel's laptop.

"Hello?" He croaks.

Both women, previously oblivious to his presence, brighten the moment they see him.

"Jesse!" Rachel cheers, shifting the laptop to Moira and getting up to give him a proper hug and kiss.

He pulls her in and whispers into her neck, "What the hell is going on? Is she holding you hostage?"

Rachel laughs and shakes her head, she whispers back to him, "She apologized, Jess. And she's really made an effort to be better."

She can practically see the relief overcome him as the hardness of the past six weeks or so leaves his face, and his usual glow returns.

"Everything's good, then?" He asks hopefully.

"Everything is great," she assures him, pulling his hand over to the sofa, letting Jesse sit next to his mother as she sits on the arm of the couch.

After greeting his mother and the two exchanging sorries and I love yous, Jesse pulls Rachel onto his lap as the three of them happily set up Moira's new Etsy store, Knockout Knits.

Her first customers?

Rachel and Jesse.

After all, they're going to need a _lot_ of baby booties in just a few short months.


End file.
